1. Electromyography, Myoelectric signals and their use in Controlling Prosthetic Limbs Brian Kennedy

2. What Is Electromyography? Electromyography is a procedure to test for electrical activity Needles! Solid, not hollow, so less pain Contracting muscles

3. Why is EMG so Important? Used for a vast number of applications Diagnose Diseases Gives better insight into the human body Helps develop new prosthetic technologies

4. A Particular EMG Setup

5. How Muscles Work Myosin and Actin are the main contributors to muscle contraction Myosin grabs the actin and pulls to shorten the sarcomere This shortening is the act of muscle contraction

6. Myoelectric Signals Electric signals that make muscles contract Much less electrical current in muscles than in your house EMG is able to detect these signals Signals are decoded and used for research

7. The “Phantom Limb” Patients who have lost limb still “Feel” Myoelectric signals still being produced Research found that these signals could be tapped into

8. Progression of Traditional Prosthetics Originating from the peg leg Growing to a simple mechanical bend Electricity added Grasping of simple objects with four fingers Individual finger control

9. Picture History of Prosthetics

10. Electric Switch Prosthetics Require cables or straps to control Body movement required to operate prostheses For Example.. Protraction pushed a switch to extend the arm Retraction of the shoulder would hit another switch to flex the arm Elevation opened up a hook-hand

11. Problems of Electric Switch Prosthetics Can be cumbersome to operate Simple grasping ability Normally not enough grip strength Simple motions do not mimic normal fluid human motion

12. Benefits of Myoelectric Control Schemes

13. Why Use Myoelectric Controls? Myoelectric controls give feedback to the prosthetic purely based on signals from your muscles Does not require extra movement More precise than electric switch

14. Disadvantages of a Myoelectric Control Scheme Difficulty in determining strength Non-invasive receiving methods don’t create accurate enough signals Other muscle functions determine movement. Grip etc.. Not just Myoelectric signals

15. A Successful Myoelectric Prosthetic The i-LIMB® by Touch Bionics™ Uses Myoelectric controls to manipulate individual digits Rotating thumb

16. But Wait, There’s More! i-LIMB® solves the issue of grip strength Individual Sensors for each finger Knows when object has enough pressure applied for grip Fingers lock into position

17. Fitting Into Society Many owners of prosthetics feel like they don’t fit into society Bulky prostheses and unnatural movement Don’t act like actual human body parts Anatomically out of place

18. Solution to the Problem The i-LIMB® rests in an anatomically natural position Looks like the real finger structure of a human Acts in very similar manner to a real human hand Add LIVINGSKIN® to make it look just like real…

19. Can You Tell the Difference?

20. LIVINGSKIN® Makes Prosthetic look amazingly realistic Touch Bionics™ developed the product to be applied to i-LIMB® but other prosthetics can have the technology applied Skin is painted to match your own body, not just a cookie cutter hand

21. LIVINGSKIN® The Hand to the right has the LIVINGSKIN® applied All skin types and colors are made to purely personal specifications Hair is even painted on to maximize detail

22. Resources "Electric Power in Upper Limb Prosthetics The Michigan Experience | ICIB Online Library, 1983 |." ACPOC - Association of Children's Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.. "Electromyography (EMG)." Web. 08 Feb. 2010.. "HowStuffWorks "Contracting a Muscle"" Howstuffworks "Health" Web. 10 Feb. 2010.. "Myoelectric prosthesis -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.. "Quantifying Pattern Recognition¿Based Myoelectric... [IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2010] - PubMed result." National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.. "Simulated neuroprosthesis state activation and hand-position control using myoelectric signals from wrist muscles." Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Home Page. Web. 09 Feb. 2010.. "Surface electromyography and muscle force: limits... [Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2009] - PubMed result." National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.. Touch Bionics. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.. "Welcome to IEEE Xplore 2.0: Physiology and Mathematics of Myoelectric Signals." IEEE Xplore: Guest Home Page. Web. 08 Feb. 2010. <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumbe